Avs have 1 p.m. press conference to announce management changes

About the only solid thing I know 90 minutes before the Avs officially hold a press conference – hosted by Josh Kroenke – is that Joe Sakic will formally be introduced in a new role.

Lots of other rumors going around as to what else could be in the offing. Could Greg Sherman be reassigned? Could he still keep the GM job? Could Pierre Lacroix’s time with the organization be over? Could Craig Billington have a larger role? Could there be some surprise as it relates to the vacant coaching job?

I guess we have to wait and see some more. I’ll try to update this blog live as it happens.

Here is a link to see how all nine of the Avs players are doing in the world championships, by the way.

Give me a break. Regardless of what Sakic’s new role in the organization is, the way the Kroenke’s do business when it comes to the Avalanche won’t change. Sakic will turn into just another “Yes Man” like everyone else in the front office/coaching ranks. Joe likes his simple life and isn’t interested in rocking the boat when it comes to the Kroenkes. In short, this is a PR move and nothing more. It just makes Sakic more visible to fans so that the fans will be fooled into thinking that the Avs front office is actually doing something when they really aren’t.

It’s much like the moves that Dallas made when they put Joe Nieuwendyk in the GM chair years ago. He was a familiar face to fans of the Stars. Someone that was a known commodity. Sakic fits that bill in Colorado.

But just as Nieuwendyk was a massive failure as Dallas’ GM, Sakic will fail at this job. It’s a no win situation. It’s the reason why Roy turned down the coaching/GM jobs a few years back. Working for the Kroenke Family is not highly desired.

Look at Steve Yzerman as GM in Tampa. It’s a train wreck.

Just because you were a great NHL player does not mean you translate to the front office and or coaching successfully. Wayne Gretzky should be Exhibit A.

This will not end well.

Brad

I take it you didn’t watch the press conference. Judging by Sakic’s tone, he has very little interest in just being a “yes man.” He made it clear more than once that he will have final say on player decisions. Whether or not he’ll succeed is yet to be seen, but after watching him speak, there is no way he took this job as PR move.

Puck Me Up

Patrick Roy didn’t turn down the GM/coaching job. There was no GM/coaching on the table. It was only a coaching job and Roy wanted all or nothing.

As far as giving Sakic and new role with the organization, all I can say is at least they’re finally doing something different for a change. Let’s chill out a bit and see how it shakes out. Maybe let the guy get his feet wet over the next couple of years before condemning him to worthlessness would be a good start.

JJ

You’re wrong. There were several sources at the time that stated the job was for both coach and GM combined. Roy didn’t want to work for Stan Kroenke again.

Jimbotronn

…and there were also many sources at the time, including Roy himself, that reported that the GM job was never actually offered. As is typical with the Avalanche, what goes on behind the scenes is not made public. The coaching job was definitely offered, but I don’t recall seeing anything beyond speculation that the GM job was actually offered by the Avs.

Chantal

The coaching job was offered but Roy wanted both coaching and GM job and was asking for too much money.

Puck Me Up

Where are these sources you speak of J.J.?

shaker

I just hope they didn’t talk Sakic into a job that he really wasn’t interested in doing 100%. There are qualified people out there that can do the job. Or is it that too much trouble to look outside the organization?? Ok I’ll wait and see but I hope its not like I think it’s going to be.

Boreas

Is it going to be streamed or televised anywhere AD?

NYAvsFan

That’s what I want to know too!

Nicolas D.

This team just keeps living in the past. Get a qualified, experienced GM in here. Not Sakic. As Tom said, it’s just a PR move.

Brad

Who exactly should they get? The Flames went out and got a qualified, experienced, Cup winning GM in Jay Feaster and they’ve been a train wreck since he took over. Personnel guys are hit or miss, and Sakic is no dummy, he wouldn’t take this on as PR move.

Jimbotronn

I’m not watching, but NHL.com reports that LaCroix is out as president, replaced by Josh Kronke. Sakic VP of Hockey Ops.

I’m indifferent to the Sakic thing, but couldn’t be happier about LaCroix.

shaker

Is J.K. an improvement over P.L.?

Jimbotronn

I have no idea what kind of job Kroenke will do, and those who were already inclined to think the owners don’t care about hockey are not likely to have their minds changed just because of this. But I hope that it signals that they realized that the direction LaCroix had been guiding them was not the direction they wanted the team to go, and that is an encouraging sign from ownership.

LaCroix was never a great GM, he was opportunistic and more than a little lucky. Since the lockout, though, the Avs have either failed under his direction, or they’ve failed due to his lack of direction. Either way, getting him out of any real decision-making process is a step in the right direction. I think with Kronke setting the overall tone for the organization, Sherman handling the business side, and Sakic handling the hockey side, those three could find a balance that will work better than whatever dysfunctional way it had been operating previously.

shaker

You may be right. I hope you are. I was troubled by J.K’s comment that P.L. wanted less of a role but they kept him there as president anyway. If a guy wants out then drive him to the airport! Ah well. Its something of a fresh start anyway.

Brad

I’m stoked about Lacroix being out as well. I don’t know how Kroenke will do, but he really can’t do any worse that Lacroix has done as the President. I’m really optimistic about Sakic though, especially since he kept reiterating that the final decision is his. It seems like he had some serious conversations and wasn’t interesting in just being a “yes man.”

Jimbotronn

I haven’t heard what Joe said yet, but it sure sounds like he said the right things. I’ve thought for some time that the entire secretive, paranoid, “yes man” thing the Avs had going on came from LaCroix more than anybody, so maybe part of the reason Sakic will (hopefully) be able to be more decisive and involved is because Kroenke will be more willing to let him?

I also think that’s a big reason why Sherman was retained… it may not be wise to judge Sherman’s performance without knowing just what percentage of his decisions actually came from Pierre’s desk. And maybe if the “hire from within and only from within” policy originated with LaCroix too, that means we now have a better chance of seeing an external
head coaching candidate get hired? One can dream…

Puck Me Up

I agree. The one thing I have to say about Sherman is that aside from the O’Reilly situation, for the most part, he has maintained a salary cap that wasn’t going to send this team over the edge any time soon. At least he hasn’t been reckless with spending and doesn’t overreact just because the media and the fans were going hog-wild over some fancy name with a hefty price tag (I admit that I was one of those people who wanted him to go all out and sign Semin though). That being said, I’m still not convinced that he knows much more about hockey than you or I.

Now that we have Sakic taking on a larger role with the club and hopefully having a stronger voice than what we’ve been used to, my hope is that they go outside the organization and hire a new head coach. Personally, I hope they make a push to land Tippett. I think he’d do wonders for this young team.

great to hear Sakic is runnning the show similar to Elway…bummed to hear Josh is taking a larger role. Anyone else notice that he didnt say one word about the Avs all year, but came out one day after the Nugs lost to puthis two cents in?

Frank0779

Josh Kroenke is the new team President, Sherman still the GM and Sakic is the VP executive of hockey operation. Sherman is not fired… boooo! I really hoping that Craig Billington is our new GM. Deception.

Ramon

Holy shit! Sherman still GM! What the fuck…!

Ramon

Sherman has to go!

Flapjack

Does this mean Ryan O’Reilly gets a clean slate?

joshed

not with sherman still on board

Flapjack

I don’t know how much The Shermanator is really a part of the discussion anymore.

brock329

Incredible and very disturbing that shermy is still on board!

Avsolutely

I for one would like to say thanks to Pierre Lacroix for helping our team acquire players like Claude Lemeiux and Patty Roy and thank you for being the G.M. when we won two Stanley Cups. I think Super Joe will be a great kick in the pants for our beloved Avalanche. Go Avs.

Chantal

Josh Kroenke as president doesn’t sound good at all and Pierre Lacroix still being around sounds even worse.

Matt

Sakic, Sherman, Josh Kroenke, Lacroix, etc = Deck Chairs

Avalanche Franchise = Titanic

And the Band Played On……

What a complete failure of an NHL team.

Can you say Public Relations move to sell tickets? ugh.

shaker

I didn’t get to hear the entire presser but did anyone hear the name Billington come up?

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.